Lilac Rose
by Soraia
Summary: *Finished* Aurora Ream was hurt by Daybreak and is now a spy for the Night World Council. Can she keep Daybreak from finding the last Wild Power before the Millennium Battle? Or will she get caught in a web of lies and hurt the one she loves?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I, in now way, own the ideas or concepts of the Night World. These all belong to the lovely LJ Smith and her publishers. Please don't sue. I'm broke.

Spoilers: Every Night World book you can think about. Trust me, I'll find a way to fit everyone in. Just you wait until the end. =) And now . . .

Lilac Rose

  
  


Chapter 1

  
  


Sunlight. Bright Sunlight. That's all Aurora could see. She slid her sunglasses on as she closed the apartment door behind her. The California sun beat down on her as she walked out to her Mitsubishi Eclipse, not feeling any of the slight winter chill. She was completely unprepared for what she was about to do.

She caught the reflection of a girl that looked no older than seventeen in the dark tint of her car window. Her sleek brown hair brushed softly past her shoulders as she tossed her head to the side. Analyzing herself, she wondered how such an innocent looking girl like herself could be seen as what she was: a vampire . . . a killer.

As she started the engine she thought back to a year ago. She hadn't always been a killer. There was a time when she was a member of Circle Daybreak, a group who believed Night World people and humans could live together in a peaceful existence. They were naive enough to assume that there was such a harmonic world that could accept that. One day she woke up and was forced to draw that a world like that couldn't exist. Death did that to you.

Driving into town, she almost grimaced at the thought of a world like that. She knew now that Night World law should not be broken. Humans should never know about the Night World, a secret society of vampires, werewolves, witches, and other creatures of darkness that live among humans. And you were an idiot if you fell in love with a human.

It was almost hypocritical of her to think that. Some idiot Night person falling in love with her was how she got here in the first place. If it hadn't been for him, she would still be an Old Soul.

She shook her head quickly as she pulled up to the huge fortress of stone and brick, watching the masses walk through the door. Getting out of her car, staring up at the monstrous building, she sighed deeply. Yet another school to deal with.

Aurora Ream had been through six schools in the past two years. With two months until the end of her senior year, she hoped that Boroway High School would be the last.

She walked through the halls, getting the usual look she got from the people. The look of wonder. A girl who looked almost too beautiful, who moved too fluidly, who was too quiet. A few Night World people stuck out in the crowd. A 'shifter walked past with feather-like blond hair. A group of two or three people with black dahlia insignia was hanging out in a corridor. One lamia walked past and nodded, his silver yellow eyes reflecting, his skin glowing from a recent feeding. Aurora just nodded back.

As usual, she looked for a familiar face, ready to hide. Even though she was hundreds of miles from her last location, and this was the second time the Council had changed her name, she still was on the look out. She couldn't risk anyone finding her.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize someone walking directly toward her. She bumped into the guy, hard.

"Excuse me," she said, shaking her hair out of her face. She looked into gray-blue eyes that held centuries behind them. Light blond hair immediately fell over them.

The boy, who looked no older than she did, stuttered. "I- I'm so sorry, I didn't see you. I guess I was in another world."

"Aren't we all?" Aurora smirked, enjoying her private joke. She raised her right hand to her face to remove the hair from her eyelashes.

"A black rose?" The boy smiled. He had noticed the ring on Aurora's hand: a gold band with a black onyx gem carved into the shape of a rose. He offered his hand. "Unity. My name is Aden Cole."

She eyed him conspicuously, reaching out her hand. "Lilac Rose." She wasn't used to the name, but it would have to suffice. She couldn't let anyone from Circle Daybreak find out what her real name was.

Just before their hands could make contact, the bell rang. She brought her arm to her side quickly and turned. "Sorry, have to run," she called over her shoulder.

"I'll see you later?" It sounded more of question than an invitation.

She waved and ducked into the classroom that was her English Literature class. Handing the teacher her pink slip of paper, she looked around the room. Not a Night person in the bunch. She breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been sociable enough for the morning.

She sat in the seat assigned to her, and leaned back. The teacher was discussing poetry from Robert Frost, something she had studied as a human.

This gave her time to think about her mission. The Night World Council had assigned her to find the local Circle Daybreak and get what information she could about the fourth Wild Power. There had been rumor that the Wild Power was in the area, and the council was furious that they were behind while Daybreak was on the case.

Even though Aurora used to be human, changed against Night World law, the Council had taken her in. Since she knew a lot about Daybreak, and hated them just as equally, she was the utopian spy.

She had a feeling that Aden was the perfect person she could have met. From his eyes she could tell he was a reincarnated soul, and Circle Daybreak was the only part of the Night World that took to Old Souls. She would have to look for him later.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

  
  


She saw Aden coming toward her as she was making her way through the hallways. Half of a day had gone by, and she was lacking on her assignment. ~Now's as good of time as any to get started~, she thought to herself.

She put on a bright smile, forced a gleeful attitude and turned to the Old Soul moving toward her. "Aden!" she exclaimed, hoping she didn't seem over-enthused. "It's good to see you."

He wore a boyish grin, jogging into place next to her. "How's your first day been so far, Lilac?"

Annoying, she thought to herself, but pushed it to the back of her mind. She couldn't forget that ~Lilac~ wouldn't say anything like that. "Same thing, different school."

They made their way toward the front courtyard of the school. "Would you like to join my friends and I for lunch?"

~Score~. "That would be great!" She followed him to a small group of teenagers sitting under a large oak tree in a secluded part of the courtyard. They all looked up smiling, a look of admiration for Aden. Aurora could see the slight confusion in their eyes as they took her in, but the smiles never faded.

Aden was addressing the group. "Everyone, I'd like to you to meet Lilac Rose."

A girl with eyes almost the same powerful lavender as Aurora's stood and held out a hand. "Unity, Lilac, I'm Thalia Brooke." Shaking her hand, the girl turned her head to the side, searching Aurora's eyes. "How old are you?"

A brief wave of desperation went through Aurora. She brushed it off, keeping her composure. "I'm eighteen, why do you ask?"

The gentle girl smiled. "Your eyes, they seem to carry many years behind them."

Aurora thought quickly. "I was an Old Soul before I changed." She had to stick to her planned introduction.

"Changed recently, I suppose?" Aurora turned to the person who the voice belonged to. A young man, no older than sixteen, was looking at her with unsure azure eyes. They glinted with a slight silver sheen from underneath long black bangs.

"A few months ago, actually." She forced a laugh. ~Here goes nothing~. She grabbed for the story in the back of her mind, made up by the Council themselves. "My Circle back in Pennsylvania was attacked by the Night World Council. I was hurt severely. The witches didn't think my soul could take the damage, and they were afraid I wouldn't come back again. There was so much work I still wanted to do with Daybreak, so I agreed to be changed. I'm here because our Circle had to separate to stay safe."

A tiny girl with bright emerald eyes and long, straight red hair stood up and hugged her. "That must have been so horrible! I'm so sorry! I'm Litchi Abforth. Don't mind Teff. He's just very wary about new people."

He shrugged from his position against the large oak. "Sorry. It's just situations like what happened to you make me cautious about new people." He waved. "I'm Teff Burdock."

Aurora nodded. Aden began to introduce others. He motioned toward a boy with golden curls and fierce gold eyes. "This is Lander Dirgham."

"A lion, I presume," she smiled, looking at the slowly softening features of the boy.

He grinned. "What gave it away? The looks or the name?"

"A little bit of both."

He gestured at a girl sitting on one of the highest branches of the tree. "That's my little sister, Kefira."

Aurora waved at the girl. Kefira let out a low growl and retreated to a leafy part of the tree.

Lander shook his head. "Don't mind her. She just failed a trig test."

Aden nodded at the last person in the group. The boy had a built body, barely clothed by the piece of fabric he considered a shirt and tight blue jeans. His deep brown eyes were looking in the distance, his dirty blonde spikes rustling with the breeze. "That's Thomas Johnson. He's human."

Aurora looked into Aden's eyes to see a look that said, "I'll tell you later."

~ His eyes are so unique~, she thought to herself. She had never seen the way the blue and gray swirled together. But hadn't she? They looked so familiar . . .

She hadn't realized she was staring. Blushing, she looked away, sitting next to Litchi.

The bright green eyes smiled at her. "So, tell us why you joined Circle Daybreak, if you don't mind sharing?"

Aurora nervously moved a strand of hair behind her ear. "No, I don't mind. I feel my story should be shared." She cleared her throat, remembering the plan. "My family was attacked when I was about eleven by a pack of renegade shape shifters. I moved to a foster family of lamia who had a son my age, and Daybreak taught me how to search my past lives. After seeing their son, Aries, in many of them, we realized we were soulmates."

Thalia sighed. "How romantic."

Teff rolled his eyes. "Where's this guy, now?"

Aurora put on the best wistful face she could think of. "He didn't survive the attack."

Teff's eyes immediately looked down. Aden furrowed his brows and Litchi's mouth opened in a sullen frown. Even Kefira had come down to a lower branch, her claws looking very odd on a human hand.

"I'm sorry," Thalia whispered. "That must be so hard."

Lander looked confused. "But lamia don't-" He stopped, realizing that he might say something painful.

Aurora sighed, trying at a sad grin. It wasn't hard. If the story were true, it would be very upsetting. She shook her head, looking up at Lander. "No, lamia don't come back. Most humans will, some witches might, there's even a possibility that a shifter can reincarnate. But there's never been a record of any type of vampire coming back."

Aden looked generally upset. "I can't believe that the Council could be so cruel!"

Aurora shrugged. "It's okay. I can remember the past. We spent millennia together. I'm happy that we spent the time together that we did. I'll never be complete again, but, 'It's better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.'"

Thalia was shaking her head. "You are so strong, Lilac."

Aurora gave a genuine smile. "Thank you, I try."

A shrill bell rang through the campus. She began to rise, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. "Well, I'm off to Chemistry."

"Mrs. Hopkins?" Aden asked, coming to her side.

She looked down at her pink schedule. "As a matter of fact, yes."

He grinned. "That's what I have next, also. I'll walk with you."

The others went in opposite directions, just leaving the two of them. "So what's Thomas' story?"

"His soulmate was killed about three months ago by a renegade vampire."

Aurora swallowed silently. "That's really too bad."

"Yes, but Kara was an Old Soul, so we know that she's coming back. I mean, look at your situation."

"My situation?" ~Oh yeah, stick to the plan!~ "Oh, I know. But I feel bad for everyone else that has to go through the pain of a loss like that." She decided to change the subject. She needed to find out more about these Daybreakers. They may be the key to her mission. "How did you get involved in Circle Daybreak? Don't tell me you lost a soulmate, too."

He laughed. "No, I haven't been fortunate enough to find mine, yet. Someday, hopefully. I know I've met her in past lives, but my memories are so vague, and she changed in a lot of them. Someday maybe . . ." He shook his head. "Anyway, my parents brought me into the Circle. My Aunt Lisa was used in a blood feast, so my parents joined to try and stop the evil. When they found out that I was a very early Old Soul, they were ecstatic."

She laughed. Her mother thought she had been crazy when she had tried to explain being a reincarnate. She missed her desperately.

He was continuing on. "Sometimes I feel bad. I mean, I see all of the pain that the people around me are going through, being away from or losing their soulmates. I wish I could take some of it away, help in some way. Maybe if I felt the same pain, I would feel reassured."

Aurora stopped uncontrollably, touching the sleeve of his brown leather jacket. "Don't ever wish that, Aden. It's a completely horrible pain."

He cocked an eyebrow. "But you said, it was better to have found your soulmate and lost them, then to never be with them."

~Shoot~. She was letting reality slip in. "Oh, I appreciate my time spent with Aries, but part of me is gone, my other half." She had no clue where she was pulling this from. Maybe she had heard it from a Circle member before. "I'll never be whole again."

He gave a sad grin. "Maybe it would be too much."

They walked into the classroom as the final bell rang. She sat next to Aden after letting the teacher check her schedule. During the whole period, she seemed to feel the heavy weight of lying to him in her head.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

  
  


Aurora flopped on the bed of her studio apartment. The delicious feeling of her down comforter swallowing her gave her the security of being alone. Goddess, seh should get an Oscar for her performance today.

She felt herself begin to sway into sleep, her recent feeding filling her full of warmth. That innocent sophomore boy she'd seen behind the 7-11 would never know that he had been bitten by a vampire.

As she lulled out of consciousness, one of her repetitive dreams began to surface. One of her past lives. She saw herself in a large violet dress to match her eyes. She was a southern belle.

She gave a mental groan. ~Not this one . . .~

  
  


~*~

  
  


"Dawn?" A sweet southern voice called to her.

Aurora looked around to where it had come from. Her mother . . . there she was! Standing on the porch by the cotton field. She began to walk in that direction, parasol in hand. "Yes, Momma?"

"Hurry, Dawn. Your Daddy is going to be mighty glad to see you when he gets home." Her mother touched her arms lightly. "My, aren't you beautiful? That dress your Auntie Lily brought you from Chicago is just stunning. It brings out your eyes so well."

"Thank you, Momma." Aurora blushed. "He should be home soon?"

"Any moment now, dear. Why don't you fetch one of the boys to find us a hen for supper?"

"Yes, Momma." Aurora walked out to the field.

Under a large tree sat a young man with sandy hair. She called to him, "Josiah?"

"Yes, miss?" He looked up. There was something familiar about him.

"My Momma needs a hen for supper. Would you please run along and find one?" She stood straight and proud, deep inside feeling the misery of commanding another human being.

"Yes, miss." He stood, turning to the chicken coop.

She began to turn away, but stopped in mid-step when she heard the scream.

"Momma?!" she exclaimed, running toward the house. Loud footsteps were coming behind her, but she didn't turn to look.

Soon, her and Josiah were running up the steps of the house. The screaming stopped just as she entered the screen door to the kitchen. They ran through the house until they reached the lounge. There, her father stood over her mother's limp body on the floor. He looked up into her eyes, and she saw something that scared her down to her soul.

* Hunger.*

His eyes had an unnatural silver sheen that she had never seen before. His mouth, like her mother's neck, was covered in blood. The thing that grabbed Aurora's attention more than anything, that couldn't fit into the picture in her mind, were the elongated teeth coming from his mouth.

She swallowed hard. "Daddy? Daddy, what's wrong?"

She felt bare hands on her arms, pulling her back. There was a feeling like static on her skin. Suddenly, her mind was filled with the presence of someone else.

She looked up at Josiah. ~I know you~.

Then she heard his voice, though his mouth didn't move. ~We have to get out of here~. His eyes veiled by his long hair, Aurora suddenly wanted to change her dream. She wanted to be able to move as she wanted. Not knowing why, she wanted to brush away the hair. There was something she had to see . . .

Rough hands grabbed the back of her dress. Her father yanked, tearing the large bow of lace. She reached for Josiah, but her father was pulling her away. With his free hand, he pulled her head back, moving aside the soft chestnut curls that were set around her face.

She knew Josiah couldn't help her. Her life was leaving her fast, her soul being pulled out by the teeth in her neck.

No longer connected to him, she sent one last thought to Josiah, not knowing what she was saying, but knew he could hear her. ~I'll be with you in the next life . . .~

~*~

Aurora sat up in her bed, a cold sweat beaded on her brow. She hated that dream. She hated all of her past life memories. She always died painfully. That's why she tried not to sleep.

She walked over to the desk in the corner of the room. Sitting down she moved aside all of her papers. Letters with the seal of the Council in the top corner, stating her mission, mixed with notes from her classes of that day. Amidst them all, she saw a piece of paper with the Circle Daybreak letterhead. The signature at the bottom was illegible, but could not be mistaken: Thierry Descouedres.

The dreams had been what brought her to Circle Daybreak to begin with. She had started seeing a therapist when she was sixteen. One day, a tall boy with a sad face that looked no older than her, but seemed to have seen ions, was sitting in the room as she entered.

She remembered the conversation as if it had been yesterday.

The therapist had been sitting at his desk. "Aurora, I'd like you to meet someone. This is Thierry Descouedres. He's a good friend of mine."

She had gone to shake his hand, but he waved it off. "It's not her, Richard."

Eyebrows raised, she looked between the two men. "I'm not who?"

Thierry gave her an unconsolable smile. "These dreams you've had. You're killed in every one of them?"

She nodded, suddenly outraged that her therapist had broken the client confidentiality. She wanted to speak, but Thierry stopped her.

"Richard didn't tell me anything. All he said was that you were having dreams."

She calmed a little. "How did you know I died?"

He evaded the question. "Are you killed by these vampires in every dream?"

She was dumbfounded. "No. In most of them it's vampires, but there are dreams where I'm being killed by wolves, panthers, birds, and even warlocks. I die in every one of them."

He nodded. "Do you believe that these creatures are real?"

She turned her head to the side. "I was raised to think that they weren't, but I can't deny what my mind tells me. These have been past lives. I've lived and died multiple times."

He smiled. "I want to tell you a story, a true one, about a world that exists beside your own."

Thierry had told her about the Night World and Circle Daybreak. He had told her about Hana of the Three Rivers, and his endless search for his soulmate. When he was done, he waited for a response.

Once again, Aurora looked between the two men. Sighing, she gave a sort of half-smile. "I hope I'm not paying for this session."

For the next year and a half, she was an avid member of Circle Daybreak. She was there when the terrible Ash Redfern changed his colors. She was a part of a search team for Hana of the Three Rivers. She actually shook hands with "The Cat."

Somewhere in that time she had met Oren Rasmussen.

Oren was lamia. They hadn't been soulmates, but they cared about each other deeply. They always worked together on projects for Daybreak, looking out for each other. Plus, being around so many soulmates, you tend to take love for granted.

The story about the attack had some truth behind it. While on a scouting mission for Thierry, Aurora, Oren, his cousin James, and James' soulmate, Poppy, had split into two teams to search for a child who's parents had been killed by wolves. It turned out to be a trap.

Poppy and James had made it to safety, but Aurora had received a serious attack. A vampire had drained her of most of her blood. She would have been lucky to survive the night. A few of the witches in the Daybreak hospital had tried to repair the damage to her spirit, but things weren't looking too optimistic.

Since she had been killed so tragically in all of her lives, her soul had taken quite a blow. This time, there was so much damage, she probably would never come back.

Oren loved her dearly. Him and Thierry had come to her room and discussed it with her, the idea of changing her, if she wanted to live. 

Being so close to death, with the idea of never coming back, she took the chance.

Every day since his death, she wished Oren had never convinced her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

  
  


She set the current handful of papers down. She glanced at the clock. The red numbers glowed at her angrily. Almost six in the morning. She had to get ready for school soon. Outside the window she could see the deep purple that signaled the rising of the sun. Almost the same vivid color of her eyes.

She looked at the paper on top of the pile. The translation of the parchment, of the prophecies. She glanced it over, certain that if she read it enough, she'd be able to pick the fourth Wild Power out of a crowd.

  
  


*One from the land of kings long forgotten;* That was Delos.

*One from the hearth which still holds the spark;* That was Iliana.

*One from the Day World where two eyes are watching;* That was Jez.

*One from the twilight to be one with the dark.*

  
  


The line alone suggested that the Night World was going to win. What else could it mean by "dark"?

She looked at a letter from the Council that sat beneath it. It stated her mission, with an unclear ending to the situation. "When you find the Wild Power, contact us. We will take the appropriate measures to keep Daybreak from defeating us in the Millennium Battle."

Aurora knew what that meant. The person that she discovered to be the Wild Power would be served their death sentence.

The time for the battle was drawing closer. The Millennium was only a few weeks away. What were the chances that anyone would find "The One From The Twilight," in such a short time span?

In the shower, she began to think. How did I become so evil?

She didn't have an answer. She knew that Daybreak was constructed of lost hopes and hypocrites. Also, she knew was that she wanted to be on the winning side, and Circle Daybreak didn't have the heart to win.

~*~

"Lilac!"

Aurora kept walking down the hall. Who was yelling like that?

A hand touched her shoulder and she almost jumped. Had she not been a vampire she might have.

Thalia was standing behind her. "Lilac, didn't you hear me?"

That's right. She kept forgetting she was Lilac. She smiled. "Sorry, my head's in the clouds. What's up?"

"Meet us for lunch. There's some exciting news from Daybreak that I have to tell everyone!"

Aurora almost breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll be there."

As she headed in the direction of her English Lit class again, a million thoughts ran through her head. The main one was that they had the Wild Power. Not a very good thought, but they trusted her as a Daybreak member. That meant she could find the location, and the Council could take care of the job.

As she sat at her desk she almost grimaced at the thought. Stop that! She shook her head. She just had to keep in mind that Daybreak had turned on her.

She opened her book as the bell rang, glad to put her mind on something that didn't involve vampires, witches, or people that turn into animals.

~*~

Aurora walked through the courtyard. She caught herself walking stealthily. Today was an off day. Running a hand through her hair, she walked up to the group. "Hi guys!"

Everyone offered their greeting. Aden met her with warm eyes. "Glad you came."

Something was trying to peak from the back of her mind. She pushed it away, assuming it was another sentimental Daybreak thought.

She wondered why the Council had thought that she was the person for this job.

She sat next to Litchi. Kefira was down from the tree today, playing with a piece of string from her shirt. Lander was talking to Teff about some sports game that was on television the night before. Thomas just leaned against the tree silently.

Thalia walked up to the group hurriedly. "Sorry I'm late!"

"Hurry up and tell us!" Litchi exclaimed. "I've been dying to know!"

Thalia smiled. "There's an emergency secret meeting of Circle Daybreak tonight! We're all invited to go to Vegas!"

Aurora acted happy with everyone else.

Thalia continued. "The meeting is being held at Thierry Descouedres' mansion. I have the directions in my bag. Mom let me have the van, so we can leave straight from school."

Aurora spoke quickly. "I can't make it."

Aden looked at her, worried. "Why not?"

"My foster mom, she's not big on me missing school work. And Vegas is a good six hour drive, right? There's no way she'd let me go. Not to mention I have a big report due for English Lit on Monday."

"We're going to miss you, Lilac!" Litchi looked genuinely upset.

Lander looked at Thalia. "Why do we get to go? It's not like we're a large chapter or anything."

Thalia turned her head to the side. "I don't know. The letter I got from Thierry wasn't specific. I just know that we're part of a project he has planned."

Kefira sprang up. "This is so great! An official Daybreak project! I hope there's some good looking 'shifters there."

Lander grabbed his sister's arm and pulled her down. She shook her head. "Dammit, you're going to be there."

Litchi turned to Aurora. "Are you sure you can't go, Lilac?"

She opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by the bell. Saved by the bell. "I'm sure."

She started to walk away and heard loud footsteps from behind. She jumped, her dream from yesterday still fresh in her mind.

"Edgy today?" Aden smiled.

She sighed. "Yeah, a little."

"It's too bad you can't come with us." He opened the door to the school for her.

"Oh, it's okay." Then an idea spawned in her head. She pulled her notebook out and a pen. She started to scribble quickly. "Why don't you call me afterwards and tell me what happened?"

He smiled, taking the piece of paper. "Yeah, no problem."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

  
  


Aurora sat at her desk in her studio. There was no way she could have gone to that meeting. Too many risks. Thierry alone would have recognized her, not to mention anyone else on the high order of Circle Daybreak.

It was getting close to two in the morning. She was wondering if Aden was going to call her at all.

As if thinking of him made him call, her phone began to ring.

"Lilac?" his voice came from miles away.

She really needed to get used to that name. "Hi, Aden?"

"Hey. The meeting was great. We're driving home now."

"What was the big thing they had to talk about?"

"It's probably better to talk about this off the phone. Why don't I stop by your house and I'll tell you about it? We're about half way to Boroway, and with Lander's driving, that should only take us another hour."

Wrong answer. "Um, why don't we meet someplace? My foster mom doesn't like me having people over too late."

"That's cool. I'll call you when I get to town."

Aurora set down her cell phone. His voice was still ringing in her ears. She was incredibly tired and still hadn't fed. She would just have to wait until she was done talking to Aden.

Why was she so content on thinking about him? She hadn't thought about anybody since Oren was killed. She shivered slightly. She didn't want to think about that, or Aden. She was on a mission. Meeting him was strictly business.

~*~

"I don't understand why you wanted to meet in the park," Aden said, looking around at all of the shadows. It was almost six in the morning, and still relatively dark.

Aurora smiled to herself, walking down the pathway. Her breathing was getting short from the lack of feeding and the exercise, but she'd be okay until she got rid of Aden. "So tell me what the meeting was about."

He grinned. "Daybreak is pointing the all-mighty Night World Council in the wrong direction."

She froze in her steps. Uh-oh. This couldn't be good. "What?"

"Yeah, some of the Daybreak people let a rumor out that the fourth Wild Power is somewhere near our area. That's why we were called to the meeting."

She felt her insides begin to crumble. "So it's not true?"

He shook his head as they continued to walk. "Nope. They have no clue where the last Wild Power is, but they wanted to send the Council on a wild goose chase, so that they were distracted while we looked. We were called to the meeting so that we could act as if we knew about the Wild Power. It kind of puts us in the line of fire, but I'd die to keep the Night World from winning the Millennium Battle."

"Some of us don't have the luxury of coming back," she grumbled, kicking a rock out of her path.

"You seem upset about this. Don't worry, we're all going to look out for one another." He gave her a bashful smile. "I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

She had heard that before, but she couldn't help from blushing. "Thanks."

"Oh, by the way, Thierry said that he's sorry you couldn't make it."

She froze again. This time she thought her heart was going to jump up her throat and out of her mouth. How did Thierry know she was there? "What did you just say?"

"We told Thierry about you joining our group, but you couldn't make it. He said he was sorry he didn't get to meet you."

Aurora let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She really needed to feed. "Listen, Aden, thanks for telling me what's going on. I need to-"

"Feed," he interrupted, nodding. "I could see it in your eyes." He touched the sleeve of her jacket, pulling her near a line of trees. "Come on."

Was he offering for her to feed from him? "Aden, really-"

"Don't worry," he smiled. "It's not a big deal."

"I don't feed off of Daybreakers," she said, backing away. Temptation was eating at her. And it was the truth. She only bit them to finish them off.

"Come on, it won't hurt." He had successfully pulled her into the trees. He leaned his neck to the side. Aurora could see the moonlight shining off of his skin.

Her teeth started to poke her in the lip. She could feel her eyes change and her heart began to pound. "I can't."

"I won't let you leave until you do. I'd rather you do this then find some unsuspecting guy from the streets."

This was incredibly awkward. She hadn't fed off of a friend, if she could call Aden that, since before she left Daybreak. She put her hands on his leather-clad shoulders, lightly gripping them. ~Just shield your mind so he can't see anything.~

She leaned in, letting her teeth fully extend. Her lips touched his skin.

And her whole world fell apart.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry everyone! I removed chapters six and seven because were going someplace I didn't want them to go, and needed to fix them before anyone else read them. Now, on to our regularly scheduled program . . .

  
  


Chapter 6

  
  


This wasn't supposed to happen.

The first thing was the electricity, followed quickly by a pink haze that filled her mind. And then, his presence.

Aden, Josiah, Orion, Pyralis. She had known him by so many names, but she knew the name that described him best.

~Soulmate.~

She backed away quickly. Oh Goddess, this wasn't supposed to happen.

He looked at her through eyes that showed ions of emotions. Love, lust, confusion. The one that stuck out the most was pain.

"You already have a soulmate," he said in a thick voice. It was more of an accusation than anything else.

"I- I . . ."

"You said you had a soulmate, the day we met." He was gripping her arms while she tried to pull away. "Aurora, listen to me!"

She stopped. "What did you just call me?"

He looked confused, as if she were speaking another language. "I called you Aur-" He stopped. "I called you Aurora."

"I have to go." She turned quickly and ran.

She could hear him calling, his footsteps heavy behind her, but she was a vampire. She outran him to her car, jumping in and speeding away, leaving him behind her, and the powerful violet of the rising sun.

~*~

Her feet were bare and muddy. The tattered tunic she wore was dirty and in desperate need of washing.

~Dammit~, she thought. ~I fell asleep~.

Aurora, or, Iola rather, stood in the middle of a stone path looking up at Mount Olympus.

"Iola!" a voice shouted.

She turned to see Pyralis. Aurora's heart dropped, making her want to cry, but Iola just stood proudly, smiling radiantly.

But, as usual, before he got there, something growled from the shadows. Iola turned, but Aurora already knew what was going to be there. A black shape crawled through the trees. Before she had a chance to say anything, it pounced.

~*~

Aurora opened her eyes quickly. She didn't get the chance to watch her death this time. ~Darn~, she though sarcastically.

She got up and walked to the mirror over the small porcelain sink in the corner of the room. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying. Odd how some human characteristics never leave.

Her chest was starting to tighten. ~Maybe I should just let the bloodlust kill me~, she thought. Shaking her head, she knew it would be better for everyone.

She was destined to live in a world of darkness after the Millennium Battle. There was no way Daybreak would win, especially since she had tipped off the Council on the bogus rumor once she had got home. The Battle was only a few weeks away. No one would find the last Wild Power.

She knew that she couldn't die, though. She stretched and headed to her dresser.

She put on a black suit that looked like a second skin made of leather. Slowly, she put the rest of her items in her duffel bag. Once the Council got to her, she had a feeling the situation wouldn't be pretty.

How do you hide from a world that isn't even supposed to exist? She was betraying the Council which was an immediate reason for death. She couldn't go back to Circle Daybreak. They had failed her. Not to mention all the horrible things she had done since she had left.

Looking around the room, she knew there was nothing left. With no clue where to go, she opened the door.

Blue-grey eyes stared at her angrily from the hallway.


	7. Chapter 7

A repeat for those who didn't see this in the last chapter: Sorry everyone! I removed chapters six and seven because were going someplace I didn't want them to go, and needed to fix them before anyone else read them. Now, on to our regularly scheduled program . . .

  
  


Oh, and thanks to Emmanuel. Keep reading, I really hope you enjoy the rest!

  
  


Chapter 7

  
  


She tried to close the door but wasn't quick enough. Aden pushed his way in, causing her to back into a bookcase. ~Stupid wood~.

He looked around and laughed. "I imagine your foster mother would have a problem with late visitors in such a small place." He turned to look at her, his voice thick, full of resentment. "That is, if she even existed." Shaking his head, he turned to sit in her desk chair.

Looking into his eyes, she couldn't predict what he was going to do. She just had a feeling she didn't want to be there. Regaining her composure, she straightened her dully aching back and held her chin high. She gave him a long, sorrowful look, then turned toward the door.

"I don't think so."

His voice stopped her dead in her tracks. She whirled around and glared at him. She couldn't seem to get a full breath. "What the Hell do you want?"

He laughed again. "Made a call to Vegas this morning."

Her glare turned to a look of helplessness. She swallowed, hard. Trying to keep her voice fierce, and only failing, she asked, "So?"

"I got some interesting information from them. Seems there never was a Pennsylvania Circle attacked. Nor is there a member of Daybreak named 'Lilac Rose.' It did seem odd to me that a made vampire would have the last name 'Rose.' But, it turns out that there was once a member by the name of 'Aurora Ream.' A pretty made vampire with light brown hair and striking lavender eyes. Her boyfriend was killed and she freaked out, running away to work for the Night World Council. How odd that somehow, in some twisted place among the stars, I was destined to be her soulmate." He spit the word out, as if it caused a bad taste in his mouth.

Her breath was coming quicker, leaving in short spurts. She felt tears trying to force their way from her eyes, but she held them back. "Fine. You know that almost everything I've told you has been a lie. My name isn't Lilac Rose, I'm not a member of Circle Daybreak anymore, I'm obviously an agent for the Night World Council, and I never had a soulmate until this morning. Happy? Are you a better person now that you can prove that I'm horrible? So, once again, I'm going to ask, what the Hell do you want?"

"The truth."

She shook her head. "What is that going to do? It doesn't matter. All that matters is that if we sit here any longer, we're both going to die. Either I'm going to kill you from the bloodlust, or the Council will take care of the job when they come to take care of me."

"Why are they going to kill you?" He stood, looking around for signs of danger.

Irritation starting to set in, she let out an annoyed sigh. "Because I failed my mission. The Council is a little more harsh about those things than Daybreak is. If you can't complete a mission, they torture you until you die. Unlike you, I no longer have the extravagance of coming back again. Now, if you don't mind." She turned on her heal and reached for the doorknob.

"Aurora," his voice came, quietly. "Wait, please."

She looked at him from over her shoulder. "What now?"

He was standing now, hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped forward. "Where are you going to go."

She shifted her body in his direction, putting her free hand on her waist. "Even if I did know, it would be better if you didn't. You'd be safer that way." A vengeful side began to creep into her mind. "What does it matter to you, anyway?"

He looked up, eyes full of pain. "You're my soulmate."

"Really? A few minutes ago you acted as if fate had dealt you a horrible hand of cards. Now, you're worried about my well-being?" She let her head sag, relieving some of the tightness in her throat. "Aden, you don't want me as a soulmate, you've already given that away. Not to mention that I'm a horrible person. You have no clue who I am."

He came close to her, putting a gentle hand under her chin. "I know who you are. You're Sahar, the dark haired princess with eyes the color of the light of the morning sun. You're Dawn, the southern belle that hated giving orders. You're Iola, the olive skinned peasant who admired the unknown Gods of Mount Olympus. You're Aurora, the girl who's confused about where her life is going to go from here. Most of all, you're my soulmate. The girl that I love. That I've always loved, for millennia."

Between the growing bloodlust and the soulmate connection, she couldn't handle it anymore. She let one tear slip, allowing all of the others to follow. Before she knew it, she was in his arms, surrounded by the pink haze.

"I can't let them hurt you," she sobbed.

He looked down into her eyes. "I won't let them hurt you, Aurora." And with that, he kissed her.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

  
  


Aden's mind looked just like his eyes. Blue, swirling with grey. Everything was bright, shining, beaming with light.

She felt him trying to go into her own. Aurora receded, trying to break the connection.

~Please, don't.~

His mental voice was strong and languid. It hurt her to pull away, but there was so much she didn't want him to see . . .

~I want to see. Please show me.~

Finally caving, she let go and opened her mind, pulling him inside.

The first scene was from a time when she was with Circle Daybreak. The day she had been given her choice. She was reliving it, the pain of her wounds filling her body. She could see Thierry and Oren sitting beside her, waiting for her decision. The void feeling came back, from hearing that she may never live again. The knowledge of knowing that Oren needed her. The desperation to continue to help Circle Daybreak. She heard her voice come out slowly and quietly. "Do the change."

~You've always been such a strong person, Aurora.~

She was warmed by Aden's thought. Another scene was blending with the last. The day she watched the new girl stake Oren. She hadn't been able to stop her. Then Thierry letting the girl go, saying that she had been confused and scared. She had claimed that Oren had looked just like the vampire that had killed her brother. Aurora protested, crying, begging someone to take her life, as well. Thierry had shook his head sadly as Rashel and Keller had held her down, trying to drag her to the hospital. Keller had accidently scratched her. She knew it had been an accident, but it had only enraged Aurora even more. She had put all of her mind control into a shockwave of power. The next thing she knew, everyone in the room was stunned into paralysis.

She had ran as fast as she could, getting away from the people who had let her down, away from the people who's weak hearts would end up their demise.

The next scene was running into Garnet Redfern. She had explained that she wanted to put an end to Circle Daybreak and join the winning side. Garnet had taken her to the Council, where they made Aurora prove her hate by killing a Daybreaker, a friend of hers from Las Vegas. She could still see Cherish's body lying lifeless on the floor.

More scenes flashed through her, quickly, giving only previews to the horror she had committed. Slowly, they all faded away, and Aden's mind receded from hers.

She sat on her heals, in the room once again, waiting for his response. She expected him to get up and walk away, to leave her alone forever.

Instead he grabbed her and held her close. Gripping his shirt, she sighed, letting out all of the worry that she had been dragging with her all day. He loved her.

But she knew love would never be enough.

She stood slowly, shaking out her body. She needed to feed, it was going to be a long trip.

He had joined her at her side, not knowing what she was doing. Looking into his eyes, she kissed him lightly. She had to do this. She couldn't be his death.

Pulling away, pushing back the remainder of her tears, she gave him a soft smile. "I love you, Aden. I'm sorry."

There was a brief flash in his eyes of . . . what? Understanding, that was it. He returned her smile with a sad, boyish grin.

She turned to the door, opening it. Just before it closed, she sent him one final thought through the connection . . . 

~I'll be with you in the next life . . .~


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

  
  


Aden had never felt so unutterably lost in his life as he had for the past two weeks.

Walking between classes, even though he was surrounded by over a thousand teenagers, he felt like he was the only one there.

The day after she left, the group had asked where she went. He only shrugged. He didn't want to lie, but he knew he had to protect her.

Even though he didn't know how.

He spent lunch everyday sitting quietly beside Thomas. The group eyed him, not knowing what to think. ~Let them think what they want~.

Just now, sitting in Calculus, his last class before the beginning of winter break, he stared out the window, not knowing what was being said by the teacher. He realized Thomas was watching him. He turned to his left side and looked into those dark brown eyes.

For the first time in months, he heard Thomas speak. "It's hard, isn't it?"

Aden furrowed his brows. "What?"

"She's gone. But there's always hope. You'll see her again. For now, keep your mind on the important stuff. The Battle's coming, and we need to figure out a way to kick some Night World ass."

He smiled. Thomas knew more than he let on.

Aden turned back to the window. For some reason, he did know he'd see her again.

  
  


Aurora rolled over on her bed. She looked out the window to see the bright Nevada sun beating over the rough terrain.

~I wonder what he's doing right now . . .~

She could hear her roommate rustling around in the kitchen downstairs. She rolled over and pulled the blanket over her head. She didn't want to face the world today. When she was a human, she would have been out of bed hours ago, opening presents with her little sister and parents. She just didn't see a point in the holidays anymore.

"Lavender! Get out of bed!"

Aurora sunk deeper into the bed. She couldn't get used to being called Lavender. It fit her as well as Lilac had. Nonetheless, she couldn't be Aurora anymore.

One week until the Millennium Battle and still no word on the final Wild Power. She was doomed to live a life in eternal darkness. It would bring new meaning to the phrase, "Hell on Earth."

She rolled out of the bed, or rather fell off of the bed, and made her way downstairs. Wearing grey pajama pants and a matching tank top, she found her roommate in the living room. "What the Hell do you want?" That was becoming one of her favorite lines.

The girl sitting on the couch looked up. Her unnaturally perfect red curls and stunning blue-green eyes leaned to the side. "Good morning to you, too."

Aurora plopped next to her on the couch, only to groan at the black-and-white movie playing on the TV. "'It's a Wonderful Life?' Please, Soraia. I thought you had better taste than this."

The girl named Soraia rolled her eyes. "It reminds me of being human."

Meeting Soraia Quinn had been a stroke of luck. While living in a hotel somewhere near Las Vegas, she'd bumped into this girl on a hunt. Aurora's first thought had been to run. She was obviously Night World, Daybreak or not, she couldn't be safe. Finding out that this girl shared Aurora's feeling on life, she gave her a place to stay, no questions asked.

Soraia had been close friends with Rashel and Quinn after they saved her from an attack from the Council. They'd given her Quinn's name, just to lose her own. Everyone had suspected her of being the fourth Wild Power, since her first name referred to the Pleaides. But when it turned out that she wasn't, they had forgotten she existed, too busy with looking for the "One from the twilight" to remember she even existed.

When Aurora had left Aden that day, she had just driven anywhere fast, and her intuition had taken her to Vegas. Even though that was the center of Night World activity, she knew she had to be there. She had a feeling that this was where everything was going to start.

As if reading her mind, Soraia spoke. "Have you felt how thick the air is lately? Something's going to happen."

"One week," Aurora sighed. "And the world as we know it will be gone."

Soraia was flipping through the stations and stopped on a news broadcast. Both girls leaned forward, not believing what they were seeing.

The screen revealed a myriad of shifters, all breeds, running down the Strip.

The lavender eyed girl turned to look at her friend. "It's already beginning."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

  
  


It was December twenty-ninth. Still nothing. Aidan was sitting in Thalia's living room next to Thomas, their duffel-bags at their feet.

They had all seen the news on Christmas day, watching what they referred to as "The Panther Parade." They'd all read the headlines in the paper when they announced the numerous deaths throughout the world, where bodies were turning up completely emptied of blood. Crops were dying, the weather was ever-changing, and humans were getting sick everywhere. The Night World was starting the attacks.

Thalia had received a letter from Thierry that morning from a wolf named Lupe. The group was to go with Lupe to the mansion immediately and prepare for the Battle.

As he lifted himself from the couch to follow the group to the long black limo in the street, he couldn't keep from thinking about Aurora. The sun had just set, leaving the sky a beautiful shade of purple, the same color as her eyes.

  
  


Greeting them at the door was the beautiful Lady Hannah. She ushered them in quickly, bringing them into one of the lavishly decorated living rooms. She spoke quickly as she addressed them. "Unfortunately, the mansion is crowded right now. We've got people piled in every room. You all will be sharing this room with Daybreak members from Florida and Kansas. The kitchen is fully stocked, and all of the guards are on full alert."

Thierry was in the room, waiting for them. He looked at Aden squarely. "I'd like to speak with you in private."

Aden knew what this was about. Thierry had been who he had learned the truth about Aurora from. He followed him into his office, shutting the door behind him.

Thierry sat at his desk, gesturing at a seat for Aden. "Have you heard from her?"

Aden stared at his hands. "Not a word. I didn't expect to."

Thierry nodded. "I received a call from a former Daybreak member about three weeks ago, just after I spoke with you. Her name is Soraia, a made vampire that had a personal problem with the Circle and left our establishment. Over the years she has taken in stray Night people and kept contact with me to make sure they were okay, or if they might be the fourth Wild Power. She took in a girl she had found living in a hotel just off the Strip. She told me that the girl had been hurt by Daybreak and was running from the Council. Ironically, Daybreak's lists show no record of a made vampire by the name of Lavender Cole."

Aden jerked his head up, gripping the hard leather arms of his chair. Thierry continued on. "I wouldn't suggest going to see her. I have a feeling that she'll be there when the Battle begins. I just thought I'd inform you. Give you a form of hope for the upcoming events."

Aden stood quickly, taking Thierry's hand and shaking it quickly. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Thierry only smiled. "Go get some rest. Without the final Wild Power, we're going to need our strongest fighters."

Aden stopped before he reached the door, something suddenly hitting him. "Whoever the final Power is, I have a feeling they'll be there."

Thierry nodded. "Let's hope so."

  
  


Aurora was sitting on the roof of the house watching the sunset. It was New Year's Eve. Soraia was sitting beside her quietly, not disturbing the piece. The sun had just gone down, possibly for the last time, leaving the sky a beautiful deep purple. This was Aurora's favorite time of the day. This and just before the sun came up. The brightness of the sun just being beyond the horizon, when you couldn't see the stars, but wasn't light enough to still be day.

Once the color had left the sky, something stirred inside her. She looked quickly at Soraia, seeing she had felt it, too. For some reason, she had a feeling that every Night person in the world was being filled with the same darkness, calling them, beckoning them to follow it into the night.

Aurora stood, walking into the window to the attic. Soraia was right behind her, and followed through the house to the garage. They both got into the Eclipse without saying a word, and pulled out of the driveway. Heading down the road, Aurora only had a slight idea where she was going. Otherwise, the darkness was taking them to where they needed to go.

  
  


The humans of the mansion stood together, watching as the Night people gathered in the foyer. Aden was standing between Thomas and a girl named Mary-Lynette. She was talking heatedly with a boy named Eric.

Something was going to happen. The air in the house had been thick. Just after the sun had set, every vampire, witch, and shapeshifter had gotten up without a word.

As the Night people walked out the door, the humans followed, soulmates pairing up and taking each others hands. Aden stayed next to Thomas in the midst of the crowd. Walking out to the street, he saw something familiar out of the corner of his eyes, and felt something in his soul grow tense. Turning, he saw something he hadn't expected, but deep inside, he knew she'd be there.

"Aurora!"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

  
  


She was running. Leaving Soraia standing next to the car, pushing away the feeling of ever growing darkness, she ran. There he was. Golden hair, gleaming blue-grey eyes. Everyone in Circle Daybreak had stopped to look when he had called her name. She didn't care. She was running to him, to her soulmate. Thierry and Hannah were smiling from the head of the group.

She rushed into his arms, holding him tightly, never wanting to let go. He kissed her, their minds connecting, ignoring the cheers and clapping coming from the mass beside the mansion.

Their embrace had to be interrupted, though. Soraia came up beside her. "Come on, Aurora. There's something we have to do."

Aurora looked up into those striking blue-green eyes. Soraia smiled at her knowingly.

They walked together, joining the crowd. Rashel reached out and touched Aurora's arm. "It's good to see you, girl." Poppy was beaming from James' side. Ash tousled her hair, the girl holding his hand smiling.

Aurora gave him a sly grin. "So this must be Mary-Lynette, the girl you needed to slay a dragon for."

"In deed she is." He pulled Mary-Lynette closer, kissing her forehead.

So many humans, she thought. She laughed to herself, pulling closer to Aden, feeling the connection grow stronger as they walked into the darkness of the desert. She never thought she'd be fighting with Circle Daybreak again. Even if she had to die, she didn't want anyone to live in a world without sunlight. She never wanted anyone in the future to live without their soulmate. And she wanted everyone to be able to see the light just before the sun came over the horizon. 


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Once again, I do not own anything involving the Night World Series by LJ Smith. I am just borrowing the general idea for this story. Characters and original text has been borrowed to create a dramatic story. I beg of you, don't sue!

  
  


Chapter 12

  
  


*Narrator View*

  
  


After hours of walking in the darkness of the cold Nevada desert, being joined by many lost souls along the way, the group known as Circle Daybreak finally stopped, the feeling in their hearts telling them they had arrived.

In the distance, a mob of darkness approached them. The group was surrounded with an aura of ungodly blackness, of pure evil. The man leading the pack was the obviously alive Hunter Redfern.

Daybreak took their stance. The original members standing on the front line: James Rasmussen, Poppy North, Ash Redfern, Mary-Lynette Carter, Thea Harman, Eric Ross, Gillian Lennox, David Blackburn, Rashel Jordan, John Quinn, Thierry Descouedres, Hannah Snow, Morgead Blackthorn, Raksha Keller, Galen Drache, and Maggie Neely

Mixed throughout the rest of the group, soulmates stood together. Vampires, shapeshifters, witches, Old Souls, humans, spread around, everyone holding the hand of another person, whether they knew each other or not. They all had one purpose in mind . . . saving the world.

Somewhere in the middle of the crowd stood the three known Wild Powers in a protected circle. Three eighteen year olds, "born in the year of the blind Maiden's vision." Delos Redfern: One from the land of kings long forgotten; Iliana Harman: One from the hearth which still holds the spark; and Jez Redfern: One from the Day World where two eyes are watching.

Unknown to either group, the last Wild Power was standing in the middle of the desert, waiting to be discovered. One from the twilight to be one with the dark.

In every soul on the hardened terrain of Nevada, an inner clock struck midnight, the year two-thousand.

The Millennium Battle begins.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

  
  


Aurora watched as every witch in the crowd drew orange fire between their hands. She stood back and admired as every shapeshifter changed, growing into the animal of their nature. With every other vampire around her, she extended her teeth and let out a loud growl. The humans took their positions, wooden stakes and silver knives in hand.

She grew depressed when she saw only three Wild Powers causing blood to well on their forearms, blue light surrounding them.

Before she knew it, the two groups clashed together.

She watched as people fell all around her, good and evil. Orange and blue fire shooting through the mob. Screams ripped through the night air, and people were dying.

She had to do something.

Suddenly, a stake ripped through her arm. A vampire with jet-black hair and wild emerald eyes laughed as she aimed for Aurora's chest.

Out of no where, Aden came to the rescue, already bleeding himself, stabbing the girl with one of his knives.

Aurora attacked the witch aiming her glowing hands at Aden. Snapping her neck, she felt the power of her previous killer instincts come into play.

She ran to Hannah's body laying on the ground. Still breathing, but hurt badly. She stood over her, protecting her from the oncoming brigade, pointing Thierry off to fight. Paying so much attention to the girl on the ground, giving her vampire blood to strengthen her, she didn't notice the ebony skinned witch coming from behind. Turning at the last second, she was too late. The witch blew a dried mixture from her hand right into Aurora's eyes.

She screamed in agonizing pain, keeping her body over Hannah's to protect her. She could feel the small fragments of wood seeping into her eyes, blinding her.

  
  


Aden felt the pain in the soulmate connection. He ran to her, seeing blood coming from her eyes. He already knew. She'd been blinded. Opening her eyes in his direction, he could no longer see the beautiful lavender of twilight that they'd always held from life to life. Now they were black, completely dark.

That's when it came to him. The reason he was here in this battle. The words he'd heard so many times but had never understood until this moment . . .

One from the twilight to be one with the dark . . .

The line hadn't been saying that the Wild Power was going to be on the dark side.

Dodging an oncoming ball of fire, he fell to Aurora's side, calling for Thierry to come quickly.

Thierry came to the ground next to Hannah. She was slowly lifting her body from the ground, regaining consciousness. Aden turned to him. "Where are the Wild Powers?"

Thierry pointed to a large mass of people in a protective circle. Blue fire was pouring from the inside.

He looked Thierry straight in the eyes and repeated the line again. "One from the twilight to be one with the dark. I told you the last Wild Power would be here."

Hannah was holding Aurora now, wiping the blood from her face with her shirt. She looked at him. "Aden, what are you talking about?"

Aden laughed. "Aurora's eyes. The color they've been in all of our lives has been lavender, the color of the sky at twilight, those few moments before the sun comes up and after it has set. When she opened her eyes after being blinded, they were black. Completely dark."

Thierry looked at Aurora, then back at Aden. "I hope you're right." He took Aurora by the arms, turning her face toward him. "Aurora, I know you're in a lot of pain right now, but I need you to do something for me. You have to try, for the sake of the world."

She looked at him with unseeing eyes. "I'll do anything, Thierry."

He nodded, looking at the blood in her eyes and the cut on her arm. "Think of the blue fire. Think of what that witch just did to you. Think of someone hurting Aden. Just try."

"I don't think I'm the Wild Power."

Aden could see that Thierry had thought of something else, moving just in time to miss a flying stake. "Remember the day that Oren died, Aurora? You were so angry with me for letting that girl go. Keller and Rashel took you away, but you accidently got cut, remember?"

She was nodding slowly, as if it was all coming into her mind.

Thierry continued. "You hit us all with a strong wave of mental power. You froze us all in place so that we couldn't move for almost ten minutes. You are the Wild Power. You're the one from the twilight."

Aden felt her mind filling with power, saw her forehead wrinkle as she concentrated. Thierry went on relentlessly. "Try, Aurora. Feel the white light, and let it go!"

With just enough time, he turned her in the line of a panther that was about to strike their group. Her hands together, light growing between them, she began to mumble something a human could not hear and would never understand.

As if in slow motion, the panther pounced, flying through the air. A stream of blue light came from Aurora's hands and made contact with the cat.

And the panther disappeared.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

  
  


Aurora had never felt so much power in her life. Though she was blind, she had seen the blue fire across her eyes.

She heard the crowd go silent as Aden, Thierry and Hannah carried her through the mass of stunned people. Suddenly she was sent down, and felt the minds of her three companions: Delos, Iliana, and Jez.

Immediately joining hands with Jez, feeling Delos' connection through Iliana, they turned in the direction of the darkness in her mind. She felt the sea of people around them part and could only imagine the shock on Hunter's face.

She heard him yell at his people to stop them, but knew they weren't moving, the feeling of dread projecting from their bodies. Quickly, the words came to her mind and out of her mouth with her siblings of power . . .

  
  


~Four to stand between the light and the shadow,~

~Four of blue fire, power in their blood.~

~Born in the year of the blind Maiden's vision;~

~Four less one, and darkness triumphs.~

  
  


Delos shouted alone, "One from the land of kings long forgotten!'

Iliana came next, "One from the hearth which still holds the spark!"

Jez, "One from the Day World where two eyes are watching!"

Finally, Aurora yelled, "One from the twilight to be one with the dark!"

As if she had sealed it with her final word, she could see the white light coming out of their soul, shouting up into the sky. The power collected as the went on.

  
  


~In all vampires is the blood of Maya, Queen of the Damned,~

~In all witches is the blood of Hellewise Hearth-Woman,~

~In all shifters is the blood of the dragon,~

~In all of is the blood of the human.~

  
  


~Shall evil never triumph,~

~Shall the light be always bright,~

~May the world never be in darkness,~

~May goodness banish evil of the Night!~

  
  


With those final words, the light turned into one large blue flame. Aden couldn't believe his own eyes as he gripped Thomas' bleeding arm in anticipation. The fire shot high into the sky, and finally, straight into the group of evil no more than twenty feet away from Aden. The last thing he saw was a light that brightened the entire desert sky, and then he passed out.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

  
  


*Narrator View*

  
  


Blue fire filled the desert.

All the humans of the world were sitting at their New Year's party, their biggest worry being unable to pick out a resolution they could keep.

They had no clue that four teenagers had just saved the world.

When the fire died, the evil of the Night World had disappeared, banished to the darkness that they themselves had created.

Everyone of Circle Daybreak was on the ground. The only people standing was the king of the lamia, the last of the Harman line, the girl half human, half vampire, and the blind Old Soul turned vampire.

They looked around at the people, unconscious on the ground, the blind one unseeing, but feeling their presence. They huddled together, holding on to one another, knowing they had just completed what had seemed to be the impossible.

A new light began to grow inside of them. An untold prophecy was filling their minds. Something that had to be done.

They joined hands in a circle as white light began to spawn in the center. Even to the blind Wild Power, a vision of beauty grew from the light.

Standing before them was a woman, no older than they were, with long blond hair, wise-knowing eyes. Though they had never seen her before, there was no question to who she was.

Hellewise Hearth-Woman.

She spoke softly, voice as fluid as the water in a river. "You four have changed the fate of the world. There's one last task you must complete. You know it must be done. Remove the curse, and change the course of time."

Before she could finish what she was saying, the words were already coming to the mouths of the four children.

  
  


From the time of Hellewise and Maya,

Through the people of blood a curse was spread.

Remove from these people this curse of the bloodlust,

As we say, let it be.

Bring them back to their original form.

  
  


~*~

  
  


As Aurora finished the last line, an incredible white light filled her mind, followed by an incredible pain. Something in her blood was reacting to the words, trying to escape her body.

Her scream was joined by that of Jez and Delos. She had no clue what was going on. Iliana held her hand tightly, yelling to them all. "Hold on you guys! You'll be okay! Keep strong!"

Bodies throughout the group of Circle Daybreak were glowing, slowly rising from the ground, still unconscious.

The next thing Aurora knew, she was passing out, hitting the ground hard.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

  
  


Aurora awoke to a beautiful lavender sky stretching above the desert.

~I can see!~

She sat up slowly, painfully. Beside her, Jez was breathing quietly, her bright red curls tumbled around her.

She looked out over the group. Slowly, people were rising among the scattered bodies, shaking the heads, glancing around.

She got up slowly, ignoring a pain in her back and stomach. She didn't have time to think about it. She had to find Aden.

There he was, slowly getting up from beside Thierry. Hannah was checking them, making sure they were okay.

Aurora stopped to help Poppy. Looking into her eyes, she had never noticed how bright the green was.

~Something different about them . . .~

They moved to the group of the original Daybreak team. Aden grabbed and held her tight. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She breathed deeply. Her senses must be out of wack. She couldn't taste the humans in the air.

She looked at Thierry from over Aden's shoulder. For the first time, his eyes weren't sad. He was holding Hannah . . . and something seemed different . . .

She turned to Morgead, watching him help Jez from the ground. Something was different about him, too . . .

She pulled away from Aden quickly. James . . . he was different . . . She glanced around the group quickly. Ash, his eyes, they were a steady hazel-blue. Quinn, his dark eyes were brighter, almost a dark shade of brown. Suddenly, she remembered what happened before she had passed out. "Oh my goddess . . ."

Aden touched her shoulder. "What is it?"

She looked at his neck, focusing on the throbbing veins beneath the flesh. She tried to smell the blood, tried to extend her teeth to feed . . .

And her body's only response was a low growl in her stomach.

She stumbled to Thierry. "Thierry, can you smell the humans?"

He turned worried eyes on her, "No, but look at what we just went through. Our systems are out of commission."

Smiling, she shook her head quickly. "No, no! That's not it!"

She turned to Jez, who seemed to be remembering as well. "That last spell," Aurora spoke in hushed tones. "Do you realize what happened?"

"Our blood!" Jez exclaimed. "It's . . . it's . . ."

Aurora turned to Aden. "I'm human again."

He looked at her, searching her eyes, a smile growing on his lips. "You are, aren't you?"

She turned to the slowly growing crowd. "All of us! The lamia and the made vampires! We're human!"

Dawning realization surfaced on every former-vampire's face. Thierry touched Hannah's face, just in the place where her birthmark was. "My curse is gone."

Ash held Mary-Lynette close. "I've never been human before." He turned quickly to Aurora. "How did this happen?"

Iliana was the one that spoke up. Her beautiful blonde hair disarrayed. "After we banished the evil, Hellewise came to us. She told us to break the curse of Maya's people."

Quinn smiled, holding Rashel to his chest. "It'll be great being vermin again."

"Actually," Iliana smiled. "You're not quite humans."

Aurora looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You all still have the blood of Maya and Hellewise inside you. The only difference is, the spell that Maya created has been broken. You're no longer immortal, you don't have to drink blood, and you can continue to age, but . . ."

Thea was the one who finished for her. "You all have the blood of the Hearth-women inside you. You are all now . . ." She laughed quietly. "Witches."

"Does that mean, we can all be reborn?" Aurora asked.

Iliana nodded. "And every vampire who has died since the creation of the vampire will be reborn as well."

Aurora held Aden tightly, feeling his breath in her hair. For the first time in all of her lives, she knew everything was going to be okay.


	17. Epilogue

Epilogue

  
  


Five years later . . .

  
  


Aurora mixed the herbal concoction in front of her. It smelled completely horrible.

James peeked into the kitchen. "Is that almost done? If I have to hear Ash complain anymore about his cold, I may kill him."

She laughed, shaking her head. Maybe someday Ash would get used to getting human sicknesses.

She chanted something that she barely understood and mixed the herbs with water. Handing the mug to James, he left quickly, mumbling about not wanting to get sick himself.

Aden walked in, taking her in his arms. "Having fun?"

Sighing, she smiled up at his beautiful grey-blue eyes. "I don't understand why I always wanted to be a doctor. Those former-lamia are driving me crazy!"

The adjustment of being human again had been hard, but Aurora had managed. Her, Poppy and Jez had spent a long time trying to prepare the born vampires how to adapt.

The world of humans were slowly learning about the Night World, themselves, having their own problems. Explaining witches hadn't been easy, but shapeshifters had completely baffled them. Riots and fights kept Keller and Rashel busy, trying to protect what was left of the Night World.

Slowly, but surely, everyone was learning. For the first time in millennia, the world was learning to coexist with what they thought to be supernatural.

Aurora just held Aden, basking in the warmth of their soulmate connection. She couldn't believe they had made it. And they'd be together, forever, throughout time.

He kissed her lips softly. "I love you."

She smiled, pulling him tighter. The world was no longer a scary place.

  
  


The End.


	18. Author's Note

Author's Note:

  
  


This is the first fanfiction that I have ever finished (Not including short stories). I can't believe how quick this was! I had an idea, and *BAM!* It was on the computer. I really hope you guys enjoy it. I stayed up for two nights trying to finish, trying not to lose my ideas. Please, review and let me know what you think. My best friend gave me most of the ideas for the Millennium, so major thanks go to her. Once again, I hope you enjoyed it, and let me know exactly what you think, and if there's any corrections I should make.

  
  


~*Soraia*~


End file.
